Advantage of Forex Currency Trading

Foreign Exchange trading (also called Forex, FX, or currency trading) describes trading in the many currencies of the world. It is the largest and least regulated market providing the greatest liquidity to investors. Daily volume in the currency markets is around $1.6 trillion. By comparison, the NYSE daily volume averages $25 billion a day.

The spot Forex market is the most liquid. Spot, meaning that trades are settled within two banking days. There is no central exchange of physical location. Trading takes place over-the-counter, 24-hours a day directly between the two telephones and computer.

Participants in Forex include central banks, corporations, individual investors and speculators, and hedge funds. With the advent of electronic trading platforms, self-directed investors and smaller financial firms now have access to the same liquidity as larger market participants.

Trading, or speculation, makes up 95% of the daily volume. The other 5% of daily volume consists of governments and commercial companies converting one currency into another from buying and selling goods and service.